The title provided by Mingus is: “chocolate cherry dog danish with festive garnish”
It is an exceedingly complicated exercise to unweave all of the symbolism and contextual implacability coherent and inherent in his vision, but we will attempt nonetheless.
This title, though humble in its intent, only belies the seriousness and depth of contextuality of the metaphors contained therein. The image looks quite tasty, if one fancies whippet pastries, yet also contains an element of danger and foreboding, as if perhaps (against all odds, by miracular intervention) the canine has survived the baking process by freeing his nasal implement. The quantum state he has achieved with this vision creates a definite tension between the polarized options of a dozing animal, and one that has been baked alive into a consumable delicacy. The image gives us no clue to discern the truth, and the lingering quease and unease and modernist questions posed by this “Schroedinger’s dog” cannot be avoided.
The stubbornness illustrated by the animal in either of his quantum states is clearly demarcated by the slight glisten of moisture on the ebony tip of his nose. He seems to be saying, “Witness the indomitable canine spirit!” at the same time he is murmuring, “Leave me alone, for I am currently napping, chasing small (but spritely) bunnies in my dreams.” The bright red, santa-esque swaddlescent coverering, while both suggestive of canned cherries in glaze and of the spilt blood of our Saviour, only contributes to our confusion between dining and divinity. It is an easy conclusion that Mingus means to draw strong parallels between his quantum identities and the birth, death, and eventual rise of Jesus Christ. While this strong symbology could easily be dismissed as pandering and in poor taste, he takes advantage of his humble stature as a faithful quadrupedal servant to man to deftly sidestep any such criticisms.
The silver snowflake ornament on the center of the blanket/filling is also subject to similar parallelisms. While, upon first glance, one simply sees it as a quaint holiday adornment, it becomes clear (once we have delved fully into the Schroedinger’s Christ morphologies and associated zeitgeist) that it also stands as a beacon with versimilitude to the North Star that allegedly led the wise men to the cradle of the baby Jesus. I think at this point it is most likely unnecessary to even mention the dyslexic “god-dog” connection, but it simply cannot be ignored as part of the cross-species-cultural elements of the piece.
In summation, if we were to amalgamate the vast potpourri of imagery and meaning contained in this image, Mingus seems to be saying, “Come witness the gentle rise and fall of the cherry filling as it moves with my humble ribs. See how the universe expands and contracts and yet your dog remains in one singular location.”
Indeed, Mr. Mingus, indeed, the universe has expanded again this year, and contracted and we are still here, pondering what it all means, why animals are so inscrutable, and what we should eat next.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Charlie, Melissa, and the artist formerly (and presently) known as Mingus.
p.s. We have settled nicely into our new house, Melissa is kicking ass and taking names at her new job, Charlie is still figuring out what he wants to be when he grows up, and Melissa is being beautifully patient while he works on that.
